Installing active flows in a forwarding table

Abstract

A device may determine that a route is inactive. Information identifying the route may be stored in a forwarding plane portion of a forwarding table and a control plane portion of the forwarding table. The route may be associated with directing network traffic toward an endpoint network device. The device may remove the information identifying the route from the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table without removing the information identifying the route from the control plane portion of the forwarding table based on determining that the route is inactive. The device may route network traffic based on the forwarding table after removing the information identifying the route from the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table without removing the information identifying the route from the control plane portion of the forwarding table.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A device, comprising:
 one or more memories; and 
 one or more processors to:
 determine that a route is inactive,
 information identifying the route being stored in a first data structure of a forwarding table and a second data structure of the forwarding table; 
 
 remove the information identifying the route from the first data structure of the forwarding table without removing the information identifying the route from the second data structure of the forwarding table based on determining that the route is inactive; 
 determine that the route is active; and 
 add the information identifying the route to the first data structure of the forwarding table based on information identifying the route stored via the second data structure of the forwarding table. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , where the route is associated with directing network traffic toward an endpoint network device. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , where the first data structure is associated with a forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table and the second data structure is associated with a control plane portion of the forwarding table. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , where the one or more processors are further to:
 determine that an age interval, associated with utilizing the route to direct network traffic, is satisfied; and 
 where the one or more processors, when determining that the route is inactive, are to:
 determine that the route is inactive based on determining that the age interval, associated with utilizing the route to direct network traffic, is satisfied. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 1 , where the one or more processors are further to:
 determine, after adding the information identifying the route in the first data structure of the forwarding table, that the information identifying the route has been added or removed a threshold quantity of times; 
 determine, after including the information identifying the route in the first data structure of the forwarding table, that the route is inactive; and 
 retain the information identifying the route, after determining that the route is inactive, based on determining that the information identifying the route has been added or removed the threshold quantity of times. 
 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1 , where the one or more processors are further to:
 determine that a quantity of routes identified in the first data structure of the forwarding table satisfies a threshold; 
 alter a threshold period of time associated with determining a status of the route from a first threshold period of time to a second threshold period of time based on determining that the quantity of routes satisfies the threshold,
 the second threshold period of time being less than the first threshold period of time; and 
 
 where the one or more processors, when determining that the route is inactive, are to:
 determine that the second threshold period of time is elapsed after altering the threshold period of time from the first threshold period of time to the second threshold period of time; and 
 determine that the route is inactive based on determining that the second threshold period of time is elapsed. 
 
 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , where the one or more processors are further to:
 determine that the first data structure of the forwarding table stores information identifying a threshold quantity of routes; and 
 determine that the route is inactive based on determining that the first data structure of the forwarding table stores information identifying the threshold quantity of routes. 
 
     
     
       8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
 one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 determine that a route is inactive,
 information identifying the route being stored in a forwarding plane portion of a forwarding table and a control plane portion of the forwarding table; 
 
 remove the information identifying the route from the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table without removing the information identifying the route from the control plane portion of the forwarding table based on determining that the route is inactive; 
 determine that the route is active; and 
 add the information identifying the route to the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table based on information identifying the route stored via the control plane portion of the forwarding table. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 8 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
 route network traffic based on the forwarding table after adding the information identifying the route in the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table. 
 
     
     
       10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 8 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine that an age interval associated with utilizing the route to direct network traffic is satisfied; and 
 where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine that the route is inactive, cause the one or more processors to:
 determine that the route is inactive based on determining that the age interval associated with utilizing the route to direct network traffic is satisfied. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 8 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine, after storing the information identifying the route in the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table, that the information identifying the route has been stored a threshold quantity of times; 
 determine, after storing the information identifying the route in the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table, that the route is inactive; and 
 retain the information identifying the route, after determining that the route is inactive, based on determining that the information identifying the route has been stored the threshold quantity of times. 
 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 8 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine that a quantity of routes included in a set of routes identified in the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table satisfies a threshold,
 the route being utilized least recently of the set of routes identified in the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table; 
 
 alter a threshold period of time associated with determining a status of the route from a first threshold period of time to a second threshold period of time based on determining that the quantity of routes satisfies the threshold,
 the second threshold period of time being less than the first threshold period of time; and 
 
 where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine that the route is inactive, cause the one or more processors to:
 determine that the second threshold period of time is elapsed after altering the threshold period of time from the first threshold period of time to the second threshold period of time; and 
 determine that the route is inactive based on determining that the second threshold period of time is elapsed. 
 
 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 8 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine that the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table stores information identifying a threshold quantity of routes; and 
 determine that the route is inactive based on determining that the forwarding plane portion of the forwarding table stores information identifying the threshold quantity of routes. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 8 , where the route is associated with directing network traffic toward an endpoint network device. 
     
     
       15. A method, comprising:
 determining, by a device, that a route is inactive,
 the route being associated with directing network traffic toward an endpoint network device of a network, 
 information identifying the route being stored in a first data structure of a forwarding table and a second data structure of the forwarding table; 
 
 removing, by the device, information identifying the route from the first data structure associated with the forwarding table without removing the information identifying the route from the second data structure of the forwarding table based on determining that the route is inactive; 
 routing, by the device, network traffic based on the forwarding table after removing the information identifying the route from the first data structure; 
 determining, by the device and after routing the network traffic, that the route is active; and 
 adding, by the device, the information identifying the route to the first data structure of the forwarding table based on information identifying the route stored via the second data structure of the forwarding table. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 routing the network traffic based on the forwarding table after adding the information identifying the route to the first data structure. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 determining, after adding the information identifying the route to the first data structure, that the information identifying the route has been removed from or added to the first data structure a threshold quantity of times; 
 determining, after storing the information identifying the route in the first data structure of the forwarding table, that the route is inactive; and 
 retaining the information identifying the route, after determining that the route is inactive, based on determining that the information identifying the route has been stored the threshold quantity of times. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 determining that the first data structure of the forwarding table stores information identifying a threshold quantity of routes; and 
 determining that the route is inactive based on determining that the first data structure of the forwarding table stores information identifying the threshold quantity of routes. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 15 , where the route is a layer 2 or layer 3 route of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 15 , where the device is a top of rack (ToR) device of the network.